Mr. David Adamsasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the annual report of the port medical officer of health for Liverpool states that dirty crew quarters is distressingly high on British ships and that 100 more were found verminous than in the preceding year; and whether, as a similar 1703W situation may be found in other ports, he is calling the attention of the owners concerned, with a view to remedial measures?
§ Mr. StanleyI have seen the report mentioned. Paragraph 30 of the Crew Space Instructions of 1937, a copy of which I am sending to the hon. Member, provides that a master of a ship should Satisfy himself by frequent and regular inspection, the results of which should be entered at least once a week in the official log, that the crew's quarters are maintained in a proper condition, that the quarters are cleaned daily and that every effort is made to detect the presence of vermin and to deal with it immediately.
Copies of the Instructions were circulated by the shipowners' organisations to their members with a request that they should provide each of their masters with a copy and call special attention to paragraph 30 and to the Introductory Note to the Instructions which contains an extract from the report of the Merchant Shipping Advisory Committee stressing the necessity for the master to make it his business to take a personal interest in all questions relating to the accommodation of his crew, and to receive express instructions to that effect from the owners. In addition, the Board's marine superintendents affix a copy of paragraph 30 to all new copies of official log books.
The question of cleanliness is primarily for the owners, officers and crew. The Shipping Federation and the National Union of Seamen have a joint committee considering methods of improving the standard of cleanliness and comfort in crew's quarters.